The present invention relates, in general, to electronics, and more particularly, to semiconductors, structures thereof, and methods of forming semiconductor devices.
In the past, the semiconductor industry utilized various methods and structures to form medical semiconductor devices that were attached to or implanted within a medical patient to assist with various medical needs of the patient. One example of such a medical device was an implantable Cardioverter-defibrillator device that could monitor heart rhythms and provide a defibrillation function in the event of abnormal heart activity. The medical devices generally were hermetically sealed within a metal casing such as a titanium casing. In order to remotely monitor any data that was stored within the medical device, an antenna was provided on the outside of the metal casing which allowed wireless communication between the medical device and another wireless device such as a cellular phone.
The external antenna required feed-throughs in the metal casing and sealing thereof which increased the cost of the resulting encased medical device. Additionally, the external antenna made the medical device large and bulky which made implantation more difficult and expensive.
Accordingly, it is desirable to have a medical device that has a lower cost, and that has a smaller form factor for implantation.
For simplicity and clarity of the illustration, elements in the figures are not necessarily to scale, and the same reference numbers in different figures denote the same elements. Additionally, descriptions and details of well-known steps and elements are omitted for simplicity of the description. As used herein current carrying electrode means an element of a device that carries current through the device such as a source or a drain of an MOS transistor or an emitter or a collector of a bipolar transistor or a cathode or anode of a diode, and a control electrode means an element of the device that controls current through the device such as a gate of an MOS transistor or a base of a bipolar transistor. Although the devices are explained herein as certain N-channel or P-Channel devices, or certain N-type or P-type doped regions, a person of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that complementary devices are also possible in accordance with the present invention. It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the words during, while, and when as used herein relating to circuit operation are not exact terms that mean an action takes place instantly upon an initiating action but that there may be some small but reasonable delay, such as a propagation delay, between the reaction that is initiated by the initial action. The use of the word approximately or substantially means that a value of an element has a parameter that is expected to be very close to a stated value or position. However, as is well known in the art there are always minor variances that prevent the values or positions from being exactly as stated. It is well established in the art that variances of up to at least ten percent (10%) (and up to twenty percent (20%) for semiconductor doping concentrations) are reasonable variances from the ideal goal of exactly as described. For clarity of the drawings, doped regions of device structures are illustrated as having generally straight line edges and precise angular corners. However, those skilled in the art understand that due to the diffusion and activation of dopants the edges of doped regions generally may not be straight lines and the corners may not be precise angles.